


After Dark, We See the Brighter Side

by augustskies



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Banana Fish Ending Fix-It, Banana Fish Fluff Week 2019, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluffy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, it's loving asheiji hours what's new, soft ending i promise, what are feelings really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-04
Updated: 2019-01-04
Packaged: 2019-10-04 03:54:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17297270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/augustskies/pseuds/augustskies
Summary: Ash and Eiji go on a well deserved vacation in the lovely countryside of southern France.The stars are beautiful, but do you know what's even more beautiful ? Our boys sharing emotions, tearing up, smiling so much it hurts, and dancing in the kitchen to terrible French opera. Oh, and attempting to make spaghetti sauce while maybe falling in love a little more.





	After Dark, We See the Brighter Side

**Author's Note:**

> Canon ? I don't know her.  
> Title taken from ' Firefly ' by Jeremy Zucker.

" You do know, " Eiji says slowly, " that the odds of us dying in a plane crash are _much_ lower than a regular car accident ? Or cancer ? Or... getting murdered by a certain vegetable ? "

He can't help the quirk of his lips.

Ash scowls darkly.

" If our plane crashes into the ocean, see if I'll toss you a lifesaver. "

" I can swim, " is the smug answer. " Besides, if we crashed into the ocean, I'd just drag you down with me. "

The flight attendant pausing by their seats offers a slightly strained smile before asking if they'd like anything to drink.

" Orange juice, please, " Eiji says decisively after a moment of hesitation.

 

Ash drums his fingers slowly on the armrest, a devilish smile gracing his lips as he looks up at the flight attendant.

" Actually, we'll both have Coke. He's allergic to oranges, you see. Every time he has so much as a slice, he gets this horrible rash. It's tragic, really, since he loves oranges and all, _once fought an old lady at the supermarket for the last Sunkist,_  you know ? I hate to do this, but we're going on vacation and I don't want to end up having to send him to the hospital before we've even arrived ! "

 

The flight attendant, whose name tag reads _Calvin_ , looks supremely uncomfortable as he glances between the two of them.

" Well, " he says uncertainly.

" We definitely have Coke. Uh, enjoy your flight, sirs. "

 

Eiji punches Ash in the arm as soon as Calvin is gone, leaving them with two dewy cans of Coke and looking like he wished he'd never stopped by their aisle.

 

" Did you even hear yourself just now ? _Fought an old lady for the last orange at the supermarket ?_ You traitor ! " he splutters, cheeks flaming and blatant outrage written across his face.

Ash manages to stare at Eiji with a straight face for almost five entire seconds before doubling over. Shoulders hunched and shaking violently as he snorts with laughter, several passengers nearby start sending the two of them dirty looks. He doesn't stop until Eiji reaches out to shake his arm, lips pursed in a way which is clearly meant to be intimidating but only ends up twisting his stomach in an all too familiar way.

" We're probably getting blacklisted from this airline, " he hisses. " That guy in the suit two rows over is looking at us like he wants to murder us, see ? We just might die on this flight like you said after all. "

 

" He wouldn't be able to so much as touch you, " Ash says without thinking, before instantly regretting the words.

No, not the words, but the way he'd said them.

It had come out a little _too_ forceful, and it was too late to pass it off as a joke now.

 

Eiji is looking at him with an unreadable expression, all traces of earlier amusement and teasing gone from his eyes as he apparently takes note of the way Ash has gone rigid in his seat, the tension in his posture.

 

" Ash, " he says carefully. " I know. "

 

It was so stupid of him. To let his impulsiveness get the better of him for a moment, to expose his illogical emotions like that when Eiji was most likely just confused. He couldn't ruin this, whatever it was. He hadn't survived everything back in New York to ruin this trip with Eiji.

 

" Drink up, " he says instead, picking up his Coke.

" You'll learn to love unhealthy American food and beverages, I promise. "

 

Eiji opens his mouth like there's something more he wants to say, and it's almost painful to look at the once again unreadable expression in those liquid brown eyes, but Ash forces himself to smile.

A second passes before Eiji pops the tab on his can, shaking his head slightly as he takes a small sip.

 

* * *

 

The cottage stands proudly at the edge of the cornfield.

It's only September, but a whisper of chilly air forecasting far colder months to come lingers in the atmosphere anyways, rustling golden crops so they sway almost drunkenly in the breeze. Overhead, the sky is cloudless and stretches invitingly towards the horizon, a seemingly ceaseless ocean of blue which knocks the breath flat out of him.

Standing at the edge of the field with Eiji, corn husks tickling the backs of their hands, Ash doesn't think he's seen anything as beautiful in his life.

 

Izumo had certainly been pretty, cherry blossom trees lining the sidewalks in early spring, and New York may have had a magnificent skyline at night when viewed from luxurious penthouses, but he can't help thinking those were nothing compared to what stood before them in that moment.

 

" Come on, " Eiji says suddenly. " Let's race to the cottage. "

 

Before he can react, Ash finds himself running alongside his dark haired friend, heart frantically slamming against his ribcage over and over as they tear through the field like a pair of wild rabbits, perhaps.

Rabbits ? He thinks wryly, a year ago, he would probably have compared himself to a flamenco dancer before the word ' rabbit ' ever popped into his head.

 

" Idiot, " he shouts, smiling. " You're holding my hand. "

 

Eiji's answer is lost in the wind, but when he turns back, Ash feels like the world has been pulled out from under his feet.

 

_He looks so alive._

 

The thought dangles somewhere in the back of his mind dangerously, as though it were somehow a lifeline hanging precariously off the edge of a precipice he hadn't even know he'd been teetering on.

 

It's familiar, and Ash knows where he's seen this expression before.

He wants to tell Eiji, _you look like you're flying, just like in those pictures Ibe San took before we even met._ He wants to tell Eiji, _I think the first time I fell in love with you was the first time I saw you fly, and I've somehow fallen in love with you a million more times since then._

He knows he's never going to say the words aloud, but maybe it's enough because he also knows it's been true for a while now.

He loves Eiji. It makes no sense at all, and makes all the sense in the world at the same time. Ash isn't surprised at how easy it is to love him, but he marvels quietly over the depth and intensity of _loving_ with a new sense of wonder each time the realization hits him.

 

It isn't until Eiji squeezes his hand gently that he registers they've stopped running.

 

" I thought, " He's ridiculously out of breath.

" We were going to race each other ? "

Ash glances down at their intertwined fingers, a teasing smile curving his lips.

 

The cottage is only a few feet away now, a short winding trail of smoky gray pebbles paving the path to the front door.

Eiji is gasping a little, but his voice is steady when he speaks.

" Aslan, " he says softly.

" I'm not going to ever let go. "

 

_Aslan._

 

He's swept away in a hurricane of colors and voices.

" Ash, " Eiji says again. " I know you've been fighting for so long. But you can let go now, if you need to. It doesn't matter, _not to me, not ever_. Because no matter how many times we let go of each other, I'll always find a way back to you. I promise. "

 

" Eiji, " he tries, voice cracking in the wind.

The words are lodged in his chest like jagged rocks, weighing him down with each breath and cutting into his heart every time he opens his mouth and nothing comes out.

 

" I wanted to tell you on the plane, " Eiji says quietly.

" Actually, I've wanted to tell you for a long time now. "

 

" What stopped you ? " He feels like the air is being sucked slowly out of his lungs.

 

" I've never been afraid of falling, did you know that ? Every time I vaulted... all I could think about was soaring higher than the last time, those precious few seconds when I was free from gravity, weightless. It really was like flying. "

" When I was four, my mom took me to see a competition. I remember standing there and watching all those athletes launch themselves into the air without hesitation... I thought they were fearless. They seemed invincible to me, and that was the day I wanted to let go of my mom's hand for the first time in my life. "

" I wanted to be like them. To know what the sky tasted like, and to know what it felt like to fall. "

There are tears shining in Eiji's eyes, but he looks fiercer than ever as he continues.

 

" Pole vaulting was my entire world because I built my life around the fall. I thought it was the only thing worth living for, to be honest. After the accident, I stopped feeling everything for a while. Ibe San was right. I was sad before I went to New York, and I was even sadder after I left. "

" It was because of you, Ash, but it also wasn't. After I met you, being on the ground felt like enough sometimes. Being with you felt like flying higher than I ever did in Japan. "

" The truth is- I've been anticipating the fall for a while. I was scared that one day our fate would catch up to us, and we wouldn't be able to survive gravity, but I finally figured it out after I wrote you that letter. "

 

He doesn't think he's ever felt happiness this painful.

 

" I'm ready for the free fall, Ash. Even if it only means being able to hold your hand for a second longer, I'll take the risk. "

Eiji smiles shakily, a tear escaping silently down his left cheek.

 

" When I came home from New York that day, my mom hugged me, and I told her you were the person I wanted to protect most in the world. She knew I was sad, but do you know what she asked me ? She asked me if I would live for you, Ash."

" Not if I would die for you, or kill for you, like Yut-Lung asked, but if I would live for you. "

" And I said I would. "

 

The last rays of sunlight are melting into shadows, and the air getting steadily chillier as it ghosts fervent kisses upon the whispering cornfield behind them, but Ash is burning inside with a warmth he's never known.

 

" Just to be clear, " Eiji adds after a second.

" I would do all three of those things. Although you'll probably have to spend some more time teaching me to shoot properly if I ever want to succeed at the killing one. "

 

_He doesn't say I love you._

 

In spite of himself, Ash finds himself smiling for what seems like the thousandth time that day.

" I know, " he says softly.

 

What he really means is, _I love you, too._

_More than I could ever tell you._

               

* * *

 

They decide to try making marinara sauce for dinner after Ash announces confidently that he's found a promising recipe on his phone, and Eiji points out the irony of the fact that they're attempting Italian cuisine for the first time while on vacation in _France._

 

At the local grocery store, which is a two hour drive away from the cottage, they argue about which tomato to get.

Back in the kitchen, they crank the radio on obnoxiously loud to a channel where someone is singing French opera terribly.

Eiji throws an onion at Ash when he starts singing along off tune despite not knowing any of the lyrics, making up words as he goes, trying to hold back a ridiculous grin. While the vegetables are boiling, Ash coerces Eiji into dancing around the tiny kitchen with him, their hands slippery and still stuck with bits of tomato skin.

 

Twice they nearly knock the tableware off, and the third time they break a china plate.

 

It shouldn't be funny, but it is.

 

The sauce ends up slightly burnt and far too spicy, but they drown their storebought pasta in it anyways, pretending there's nothing wrong until Eiji gulps down an entire glass of water and chokes.

 

Ash tells Eiji about games he used to play with Griffin when he was little while Eiji regals him with stories about his sister, Sakura.

They listen, laugh too often, and decide to open a bottle of champagne just to be pretentious.

 

After dinner, as they clear the dishes away, Max calls and they chat for a while- Eiji describes all the pictures they've taken so far, and Ash banters good naturedly with the older man.

Before midnight, they go outside to spread a blanket at the edge of the field and lie down with a tub of sea salt caramel ice cream.

They talk until their voices are hoarse, about everything unimportant and everything which matters.

 

It's not perfect.

 

When Eiji wakes up in the morning, his neck will be sore from leaning on Ash's shoulder, and Ash's arm numb from being wrapped around Eiji all night. Their backs will be stiff and their fingers sticky with ice cream, laced together lightly.

 

But Ash will see Eiji, rubbing at his eyes and yawning, hair tousled from sleep, and feel a stab of joy brighter than the sun has ever shone for Earth.

Eiji will look up, disoriented, catch a glimpse of the way the early morning light bounces off Ash's eyelashes, and feel his heart stumble as they stretch and settle back lazily to watch the sunrise together.

 

It feels inevitably like home.

 

More stars come out that night in southern France than there have been for years. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hey ! I'm back with the first fic I've written in 2019 for Banana Fish Fluff Week on Twitter. I took the prompt from @misstchotchke for today- cityside / countryside and somehow turned it into this, I guess. 
> 
> I don't even have a Twitter account, but your girl saw ' BF fluff ' and came running. Writing this was actually amazing, I drank about six mugs of tea in the process and listened to the amazing Frank Ocean for inspiration . 10/10 would recommend.
> 
> I really am sorry everything I write seems to turn into angst one way or another- hopefully the fluffier parts made up for the pain ? Can you tell the entire last part was actually an elaborate " fuck you " to the universe and everyone who ever thought it was okay to hurt my boys like that ? Pure self indulgence, honestly.
> 
> On the other hand, it's two am right now, so I'm going to stop rambling here. If you enjoyed my writing, please don't hesitate to leave a comment letting me know what you thought ! I love and cherish each of your reviews so much, reading your kind comments literally never fail to make me smile... and they may be motivational as heck or something when I'm in a slump. Have an amazing 2019, you all deserve the world.


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